We could not have asked for a better photographer for our wedding! Since we don't live in Chicago, finding a photographer was going to be tricky. Thank goodness we found Erika. The way she was able to use natural light to create beautiful artistic photos was exactly what we were looking for. After getting in touch, we were able to set up an engagement photo shoot in a week's time. Even though it was last minute, Erika was able to accommodate us on a very cold morning in Milton Lee Olive Park – not a single complaint from her! There was a great mix of nature shots, intimate shots, and cityscape. She had great ideas for how to get exceptional photos, and entertained some of our bad ones (you can tell the difference when you see the album). For the wedding, Erika and her husband/second shooter did a great job both finding a venue for our first-look photos as well as organizing all of the after-ceremony photos. She was professional and made sure that everything ran smoothly. One of our biggest concerns was that whichever photographer we chose would be a focal point ("in the way") during the ceremony and reception. Not only did Erika listen to our concerns, but we BARELY noticed her during the events. If this impacted the kinds of photos she was able to take, we cannot notice. They are all phenomenal. And she was very prompt in getting our edited photos in the online gallery! We cannot recommend Erika enough. We hope she keeps it up, because we'd love to hire her again for any future events.

Sent on 09/30/2018

C

Caitlin O'Connell · Married on 09/06/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Would Recomend

Erika was a joy to work with. When my elopement planning went awry she stepped in with genius ideas, she got to the location early to scout for the best photo opportunities, and she's an all around pleasant person to spend time with. My husband and I have never taken professional photos before and Erika managed to put us at ease and capture many beautiful moments.

Sent on 11/20/2018

Haley Poll · Married on 06/08/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

The Best Wedding Photos I've Ever Seen!

Erika was such a amazing photographer and person to work with. My husband and I just received our photos this past weekend and we were totally blown away. The photos were above and beyond everything we ever wanted. If you are looking for a kind, caring, personable photographer - Erika is it!

Sent on 07/25/2019

E

Erika · Married on 05/31/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Wonderful!

Erika did an excellent job! I highly recommend her!!

Sent on 06/27/2019

Jordan Boyd · Married on 05/18/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Great wedding photographer!

Erika and Brandon were amazing! Not only as photographers, but as people. My husband and I found Erika’s work with the help of my sister-in-law, and once we saw her website, we didn’t need to look anywhere else! Though the weather didn’t cooperate with us on our wedding day, and I may have lost my composure for a little bit, Erika and her husband stayed calm, collected and assured us that the photos would turn out beautiful if we just let go of doubts and embraced the night. They were more than right! Our photos turned out beautiful and with such a quick turnaround! We received a sneak peak within a week, and our curated website with over 900 edited pictures, plus a post on her blog was ready in three weeks! They exceeded our expectations, and I cannot say enough good things about Erika and her work!

Sent on 06/21/2019

A

Araceli · Married on 03/30/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

I actually met Erika at my friend's wedding when I was a bridesmaid and loved her style and how comfortable she made us all feel. Naturally, I had to book her for our engagement shoot. Despite some setbacks, like our location being closed, Erika handled it all like a pro, and was so flexible with different locations and captured our playful relationship. My fiance and I never had so much fun taking pictures. She also is super responsive and gave us our gallery crazy early! I cannot recommend her enough!!! Hoping to get her for our wedding in early 2019!

Sent on 08/08/2017

J

Jackelyn · Married on 01/26/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

My fiancee and I are both a little awkward in front of a camera and Erika put us at completely at ease. My fiancee's grandma was ill and we had requested to have the photos delivered within a short window due the circumstances, Erika did not disappoint. She could not have been more accommodating.

She also helped us brainstorm ideas for our engagement session and took the time to get to know us before we actually met for the photo session. We loved working with her.

Sent on 06/12/2018

C

Claire · Married on 01/19/2019

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Wedding Photographer

Erika is an amazing photographer to work with. We initially met Erika through my brother and sister-in-law as she was the photographer for their wedding. After seeing their photos and getting to know Erika, we couldn’t wait for her to capture our special day.

Throughout the entire process, Erika was helpful, accommodating, and professional. She made us feel comfortable and we could not be happier with how our photographs turned out. She captured our day so perfectly and we will cherish the photographs forever.

Sent on 03/14/2019

S

Sally Arundell · Married on 11/16/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Excellent service and highly responsive

Erika was fantastic for our small wedding ceremony - she was incredibly responsive, accommodating for our mini-elopement, and captured well our special occasion, so we could share it with our loved ones around the world.

Sent on 12/11/2018

L

Larissa Toigo · Married on 11/03/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

One of the best wedding decisions we made!

I cannot say enough great things about Erika. Her photography style is beautiful, shes extremely responsive and just such a pleasure to work with. Booking her as our photographer was one of the best wedding decisions my husband and I made!

Starting with our engagement session back in February, Erika drove out from the city to our Chicago suburb while it was snowing. In fact, we had planned the shoot for the day before but Erika let us switch the date last minute so we could get some snow photos. It was her first shoot back from maternity leave and she was still so flexible. It was freezing and Erika stayed with us well over the allotted time to ensure we got wonderful photos. People have told me they are some of the best engagement photos they've ever seen!

Erika did just as great, if not even better of a job on the wedding day. We opted to do a second photographer instead of an album and our second shooter was her husband Brandon. There was something really special and comforting having a married couple take our photos. I especially appreciated that they kept our first look private. It was also a cold day for the wedding and Erika continually asked if I was doing ok or if they could hold my flowers or hand me my shawl.

We haven't seen all the photos yet but the sneak peak Erika sent us was incredible. I can't wait to see the rest! We couldn't afford to do a photographer at the quality we wanted and a videographer, but I know now that the photos from our wedding will be enough. I am so grateful to have found her!

Sent on 11/08/2018

F

Frances · Married on 10/06/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika took such beautiful photos! My fiancé and I booked her to do our engagement photos, and I was so pleased with the quality. Erika was flexible and worked with both of our schedules to set the date of the shoot, and before we arrived, she scouted out locations for us. While taking photos, she struck a nice balance between instructing us on how to pose and also letting us feel natural. Overall, she was very friendly and her photos are so creative. 10/10 would recommend.

Sent on 06/14/2018

K

Katie · Married on 09/29/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Interfaith, Intercultural Fall Wedding

We can't recommend Erika highly enough, and we also can't stop looking at our digital photo album! We had a two-day, interfaith, intercultural wedding weekend celebration, and Erika was incredibly thoughtful about how she captured and highlighted the most aspects of each day. When we had scheduling snafus, she was patient and understanding and flexible enough to accomodate us. She also managed to capture details and aspects we didn't even know we wanted to remember, and we are so appreciative of that.

If you're looking for a photographer who is not only talented, but also cares about how her subjects feel during the process, contact Erika!

Sent on 11/05/2018

N

Nina · Married on 08/18/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika was the first vendor I hired for my wedding. Photography was the most important aspect to me besides music and the venue. Out of the hundreds of photographers available in the Chicagoland area, her work stood out the most to me, plus she was incredibly responsive! My fiance and I hate taking photos, so we really didn't want a photographer who was too "intrusive" and commanding. I wanted someone who could give direction, but was able to capture all the random, beautiful moments. Erika and her husband Brandon were exactly that! They were both kind and warm, but able to give enough direction where we didn't feel awkward at not knowing what to do. Plus they are incredibly fast at taking the shots! I didn't realize how important this skill was in a photographer, but it really is when you're trying to enjoy your friends and family and not be held up taking shot after shot in the hot sun. Prior to my wedding, I was dreading the picture taking part of the day, but we were done and onto the party in no time AND I got SO MANY GREAT PICTURES! I'm so thankful to Erika and Brandon. It was one of the best decisions I made to hire her!

Sent on 09/26/2018

S

Sarah · Married on 08/11/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika was one of our favorite wedding vendors. She was so helpful, responsive, easy to work with, and all of our photos are absolutely gorgeous! She made the entire process so easy and fun!

We decided on Erika's 2nd Package option and it was perfect. We loved the complimentary mini-engagement session, it allowed us to spend some time with Erika and get comfortable before the wedding day.

Erika was incredibly helpful on our wedding day, keeping us on schedule, and recommending photo locations, etc. We would recommend Erika to anyone and everyone!!

Sent on 09/18/2018

A

Allison · Married on 06/23/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika took our engagement photos and we absolutely loved them! We actually won our shoot via a Facebook contest, and Erika was so wonderful! We picked 2 locations, and she got up at sunrise with us to capture some awesome moments! She is sweet, laid back, and easy to get along with! We felt comfortable and at ease with her! She is very talented and I couldn't be happier with the way our photos turned out!

Sent on 03/05/2017

A

Anthony · Married on 06/22/2018

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika was absolutely wonderful to work with. She made us feel comfortable and took time to get to know us before the wedding day. Her professionalism and artistic ability were unmatched, we could not have asked for a better experience for our wedding photographer!

Sent on 07/19/2018

E

Elle · Married on 12/16/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erica was great! She made the two of us feel super comfortable and at ease. She is super friendly and responds to emails promptly. Her work is lovely and I would recommend anyone to go with Erika!

Sent on 08/06/2016

G

Gina · Married on 10/20/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Wow! What can I say? Erika & her husband, Brandon were truly amazing to work with and we absolutely LOVE our photos. On our wedding day, I kept telling myself not to cry and was pretty successful; however, when we received our wedding photos from Erika, all bets were off! I sobbed so many ugly happy tears as we got to see our photos and relive our happiest day. Erika is a true gem and a pleasure to work with. Her photography skills are incredible. She's extremely flexible even when I had to reschedule our engagement shoot several times. Erika also brings a ton of creativity to her shoots and has the best suggestions for photos. I could not be more excited to get these photos printed as gifts for the holiday season.

Sent on 12/04/2017

K

Kelsey · Married on 10/14/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika was very helpful and professional when taking our engagement photos. My fiancee and I had never gotten professional pictures taken before. We were a little anxious going into it, but Erika gave us the direction we needed while allowing us to be ourselves. She was also super flexible when the first date we scheduled did not work out due to the weather. And most importantly, our pictures turned out great!

Sent on 01/07/2017

M

MARY · Married on 10/14/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika is an extremely talented, professional photographer, not only did she capture our wedding day perfectly but she was a real joy to work with. Your wedding day photographer is with you for the most intimate, emotional moments so it mattered to us not only that we had beautiful shots but that we felt comfortable and like our selves throughout the entire process, Erika has a way with people and her camera that allows for that to happen. Couldn't have been happier with our decision to work with her - Erika is a rockstar.

Sent on 12/15/2017

M

Megan · Married on 09/30/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

My then fiancé (now husband) and I decided to hire Erika to take our engagement and wedding pictures. In one word, Erika is AMAZING. She conducts business with the epitome of professionalism and kindness and is very detailed, prompt and self sufficient. She treated us like we were friends/family and showed genuine interest in us as a couple, which truly showed in the pictures that she took. She captured pictures of the biggest moments of the day and somehow still managed to capture the very small but personal moments and details as well. Her pictures truly exude the love and excitement that we all felt on our wedding day in a way that I have not seen many wedding photographers do. Erika made it a point to capture naturally occurring moments instead of only manufacturing moments, which is what I've seen many photographers do as well. Seriously, she is special! Also, she was extremely careful to not interrupt the flow of the day. She stayed out of the way, yet captured every moment as if she was a part of it. I would highly recommend Erika. Initially, I was nervous about the price tag, but believe me, she was worth every single penny, plus more! We loved her and would totally hire her again!

Sent on 10/18/2017

T

Taylor · Married on 09/16/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika, along with her husband Brandon, were excellent! Erika did a great job with our engagement photos and day of wedding photos. She is extremely flexible with what we wanted in photos as well as suggesting the best photos per the lighting and location. She truly is worth every penny and we can't thank her enough. Highly recommend Erika for your wedding!

Sent on 10/25/2017

A

Ashton · Married on 09/09/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Simply put, Erika was great! We got married on a really big property that included a house, barn, prairie and wetlands. She made great use of the space! Dan and I as a couple aren't used to being photographed and we were really nervous about getting our pictures taken but Erika made my husband and I feel very comfortable. She joked with us and made it a lot of fun and honestly, when we were getting our "first look" and "golden hour" photos taken, it was the only time Dan and I got to be alone and enjoy each other the most on our wedding day. At the last minute my husband and i surprised her with our want for some photos with our trouble-making dog. Erika easily and pleasantly made time and prioritized photos with our dog Cricket.
She was worth every penny, when we look at the photos we remember the best parts of my wedding day! Erika was super professional and really took charge when we needed people for group shots. The time line she organized before hand was detailed and easy to follow and really helped guild things along for the day. I really couldn't say enough good things. We loved her and the photos! Highly recommend!

Sent on 10/04/2017

S

Scott · Married on 06/10/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

My wife and I used Erika Mattingly Photography for our wedding in Chicago and we could not be happier with our experience. Erika not only captured amazing photos of our wedding day but she was always extremely easy to work with it, which cannot be understated when you are juggling so many different things leading up to a wedding. Erika is creative, professional, and was very responsive to all of our questions and ideas. Additionally, she did a great job keeping our large wedding party (22 people) on schedule without sacrificing any of the shots we wanted. This was such a stress reliever! Erika made our photo sessions fun and engaging and we recommend her without reservation to anyone who is looking for a wonderful wedding day experience. Thanks Erika Mattingly Photography!!

Sent on 08/06/2017

A

Andrew · Married on 05/27/2017

5.0

Quality of service:

5.0

Responsiveness:

5.0

Value:

5.0

Flexibility:

5.0

Professionalism:

5.0

Erika is a fantastic photographer and a wonderful person to interact with. She's kind, helpful, and quick to accommodate; but she's also very good at guiding you into poses that look great while keeping you relaxed and calm. She shot our wedding for us, and the pictures she produced are amazing. We couldn't be happier with the pictures, or with her service. We were also very impressed at her ability to cover our whole wedding day by herself, without needing to have a second shooter or anything. She met with us twice before the day, even coming all the way out to the church for the second meeting. And she listened to exactly what we wanted. When the big day came, she was well organized; and she got every picture we wanted to have, while being totally unobtrusive, and very efficient in the process. We absolutely, and whole-heartedly recommend her.